MAKE YOUR MARK

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Seth Bernard Lakeman (born 26 March 1977) is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who is most often associated with the fiddle and tenor guitar, but also plays the viola and banjo. Nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize, Lakeman has belonged to several musical ensembles, including one with his two brothers, fellow folk musicians Sam Lakeman and Sean Lakeman, but has most recently established himself as a solo act.

Seth Lakeman has that ability to create something entirely contemporary from sounds that emerge from traditional music. The instrumentation and approach is firmly rooted in folk traditions, but the songs, themes and production resonate with modern expectations and feelings. It’s an impressive mix: songs which could not have been written anytime other than now; but, at the same time, using styles entirely familiar to an audience from 1821 or 1721. Coming For You Soon sparks thought and debate – who is coming for who soon, and why? The lyrics are delivered as rapidly as the frantic fiddle, adding to the tension. As the song develops, we get the impression that ‘they’ have already come for others and you’re next. On 5 February 2007 Lakeman won Singer of the Year and Best Album awards at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. [10] Leading UK folk singer-songwriter Seth Lakeman has been very prolific since the release of his debut album ‘The Punch Bowl’ in 2002. Never one to repeat himself, Lakeman’s work has interwoven historical and local tales, while celebrating the essence of the folk genre. His last album, 2020’s ‘ A Pilgrim’s Tale’ was inspired by the Mayflower, but for his new album ‘Make Your Mark’, a record Lakeman considers a companion to his 2006 classic ‘Freedom Fields’, takes on broader themes inspired by the downtime the world has experienced thanks to the pandemic.Seth will be taking us on a tour of the folk and traditional music of the British Isles, exploring the distinct sounds of different regions. The Full English is a folk music digital archive project. Lakeman joined Fay Heild, Martin Simpson and others to create a Full English group to record folk songs for the archive, followed by a national tour. ( Topic, 7 October 2013) Change is one of those rattling encore songs that’s going to vie with race To Be King and Last Rider for the banjo and jaws harp driven charge at the end of the set hoedown. It’s just a few brass parts short of being a Bellowhead belter for the reunion that seems bound to come. Higher We Aspire similarly, sees the massed strumming accompanied by some delicate jewels of notes added by Benji on what could be the crossover number of the set. And while the jolly and jaunty continues withThe Giant – a pleasant little singalong part at the song’s conclusion “ On the ocean, on the high seas, on the ocean”– there’s a fair share of sobriety and reflection making its mark. It’s been almost 20 years since Seth Lakeman recorded his first solo album. It was his second record - the Mercury Music Prize-nominated - ‘Kitty Jay’ that saw him really come to the public attention. Then, he was promoted as the poster boy of English folk music. Today, he is one of the artists setting the pace in terms of musical excellence in that genre. The tour with the band starts in 3 weeks – hope to see you at one of the shows! They’ll be playing Freedom Fields in its entirety in the first half of the shows. And then songs from Make Your Mark in the second half of the show, with other favourites.

Arriving timely on the heels of COP26 and with surely a nod to Extinction Rebellion, the slow walking rhythm ‘Hollow’ sounds an apocalyptic note as he asks “ Did you hear the final warning, too late too loud/Did you hear the people calling with no hope, no way out/Did you feel their anger rising, through the air and all around”.Shoals To Turn is moodily ominous. As Lakeman solemnly documents a scene of concerned silence while the protagonists are completely dependent on the vagaries of nature, we even hear the tense squeak of chord changes. In this four part series, Seth takes a look at the folk music found in Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland, talking to some of its greatest proponents and asking what makes each tradition distinct. There’s a distinct organic live feel that inevitably comes from the bowing and the wooden instruments as he counts in several of the songs with cues to bring to us the feel of musicians playing together, live, in the same room. Standouts on first evidence are Love Will Still Remain (already elevated to the opening lot in concert) the excellent single Higher We Aspire and encore number Change. The former relies on a drone that evolves in to an ethnic fiddle line with the “ remaaaiiiinnn” chorus and the restrained march that carries the tune forward. Perhaps some of the Robert Plant influence rubbing off on Seth – either that our our boy showing the sort of chops that attracted old Planty in the first place. Irwin, Colin (3 July 2008). "Seth Lakeman: to the sea!". The Daily Telegraph. London . Retrieved 14 November 2015.

I am delighted to announce the release of my brand new album ‘A Pilgrim’s Tale’ on 07 February 2020! Telling the epic tale of the Pilgrim Fathers on the 400th anniversary of the historic Mayflower voyage. a b c "Seth Lakeman | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 10 September 2020. The pandemic gave me a real determination to come out musically stronger and I really dug deep into myself for this album” says Seth “Being able to record and play with the band again was really quite spiritual”Next, we’re transfixed by a sustained, discordant note. Foot-stomping instrumentation begins at the minute mark of Love Will Still Remain. So does the persistent note, even while softened by harmonies from Alex Hart. Underground explores the vulnerability of working people dismissed at will despite decades of loyalty. The tone is sombre but the protagonists survive. Whatsmore, “the far-off cry from the underground” persists when the silence is deafening. Lakeman's fifth album, Hearts & Minds, was released on 19 July 2010. Produced by studio veteran Tchad Blake [6] Lakeman released his sixth album called Tales from the Barrel House on 18 November 2011. In 2014 the Word Of Mouth album was released. [7]

Anchored by drone and propelled by fiddle and Kearney’s solid marching beat drums, ‘Love Will Still Remain’ treats on a familiar folk theme of love enduring beyond death (“ I’ll still be here a word away/In silence and in space”) in the memories of times shared, the pizzicato (bouzouki?) notes of the slow paced ‘Bound To Someone’ guiding another number about an enduring relationship as it tells of a sailor (“ His face … rough and rugged… hard as the granite clifftop”) returning after years at sea to “ unwind the hard times” and try to rekindle the fire that went out with his leaving. Charles De Ledesma (2007). "Seth Lakeman The Punch Bowl Review". BBC Music . Retrieved 3 August 2023. In true organic fashion, the album is produced by Seth himself andr eleased on his own label, Honour Oak Records, with inspiration coming from from the environment to love, death and self-belief. “The pandemic gave me a real determination to come out musically stronger and I really dug deep into myself for this album” says Seth. “Being able to record and play with the band again was really quite spiritual.” You can imagine. Fallen Friend drops in on various groups of friends and strangers remembering the heroic deceased subject of the song. Lakeman explores what’s they’ve lost and what will endure.

His most recent album, Make Your Mark, was released in 2021. [8] Lakeman performing at Folk by the Oak Festival, Hatfield House in 2008 Awards [ edit ] Bound To Someone is tender vignette, and Hart’s contribution is simply beautiful. We hear about the power of love to guide and persist across oceans. “It isn’t where you end up/it i sn’t where you start/it’s how you make your mark” And while I’d love to possibly hear a second/female voice on Fallen Friend (he has a couple of close relatives who might do a job…) Make Your Mark throws a spotlight on the sound of an evolving songwriter. Mature songs, subtle and stately arrangements – as constant as he ever was. All in all, Make Your Mark is a dramatic and tense but, ultimately, hopeful album. It’s driven by certainty in our capacity to take action for the greater good if we’re guided by love.